A Big Night Out With Cooper Koch, the Breakout Heartthrob of Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story

Koch had generated buzz earlier in his career, particularly around his performances in the horror films Swallowed and They/Them, but this is a whole new kind of attention he’s receiving. For the most part, though, he’s handling it with ease. “It feels a little overwhelming,” Koch says of his newfound spotlight. “It’s kinda crazy, but it’s all good and fun. The response has just been amazing. And I think over everything else, I just feel so grateful and happy and excited to have gotten the opportunity to be in a show that so many people watch and that so many people liked.”

The LA native has spent plenty of time in New York before, having earned his BFA at Pace University. But this latest trip, he says, “has been a lot, because there’s just been so much that I’ve had to do: meetings and talk shows and interviews and stuff.” (He learned firsthand during that press gauntlet how even a harmless joke now had the capacity to set the internet aflame, and while plenty kind and gracious during our interview, Koch perhaps seemed a touch more guarded.) The increased pace on the road has made the time he spends at home on the West Coast feel all the more special. “It’s nice,” he says of his days off. “I relax and play tennis or just hang out with my brothers.”